


Constellation Contemplations

by loveIace



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: (that wasn't a typo.), ??? just incase, M/M, Peeter POV, also btw i know this title dumb but i Like alliteration so, brief mentions of kissing, theyre on the ship together.... not a couple YET but im a bitch for mutual pining...., this is just... soft... ok, uhhh season 2 finale spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 23:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18082703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveIace/pseuds/loveIace
Summary: Peter has lived his whole life among the stars and planets, traveling to all ends of the Solar system.Juno has not.





	Constellation Contemplations

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhh i'm already soft for the prospect of slow-burn jupeter in season 3,,, anyways this is like. immediately picking up after the season 2 finale after they settle on the ship

The dim blue lights on the ground provided enough glow for Peter to navigate the halls and find his destination. Completely silent, he crept his way through the ship, the only sound being the faint hum of the engines and air vents as they pushed fresh air for the inhabitants. While the walls were thick with metal and wiring and there was no need to worry about waking his sleeping companions, Peter’s instincts took over as he treaded lightly, making himself as quiet and small as possible.

Theoretically, everyone should have been asleep at this point. While a 24 hour clock had no true use without the reference point a planet and sun provides, the time on his comms indicated it was one in the morning, the dead of night. Even if time lost its literal meaning in space, the biological clock within each person was indisputable and stubborn.

Peter wasn’t even really sure why _he_ was awake. Falling asleep wasn’t an issue; he turned in around the same time as everyone else. However, he found himself wide awake a few hours later, unable to be pulled back into the lull of sleep. Unlike on a planet, there was little to roam during these moments of unrest, but walking around the ship to familiarize himself with it wasn’t too terrible of an alternative.

So there he was, creeping around in the dead of night, the occasional window a glimpse to the outside reminding Peter he was in the dead of nowhere with his three crime buddies, his ex and his ex’s assistant. Could be worse, he supposed.

Peter walked through the maze of passages and rooms, memorizing the layout with ease. There was the control room, the medical ward, the supply vault, a ladder that led down to the machinery and engines of the ship. Soon the rooms began turning into less utility and more comfortable. There was the exercise room, a couple of other sleeping chambers that were currently uninhabited, the “movie” room _(which was really just the place with the biggest screen that they were able to hook up to the entertainment radio wave. Rita had claimed it as her own)_.

To his surprise, the door to the main living quarters was already slid open. If Peter was careful to be quiet before, that was nothing compared to how he became now. At the back of his mind, Peter knew he was being ridiculous and that there was no reason for him sneaking around on their ship, but instinct took over. Besides, Peter was curious to who was up at this hour and doing _what_ , and he didn’t want to alert them incase their activity was disrupted.

He peeked into the room and at first glance, it seemed empty. No one stood in the tiny kitchen and the couches and tables at the other end were vacant. Peter took a step into the room, scanning. His eyes settled onto a shape on the window seat, gazing out towards space.

It was Juno.

The soft blue glow of the lights illuminated part of his form. His body was facing Peter’s general direction due to the angle of the wall, but his head was turned, his attention completely captivated by the outside. The stars weren’t bright enough to deliver a significant source of light into the ship, but the speckled sky contrasted against Juno’s silhouette indescribably.

Instinctually, Peter took a step forward, caught in almost a trance. This time, Juno did notice his new company and visibly jolted back, hand reaching to where a holster would have been had he had one.

Peter couldn’t tell if Juno became more or less tense once he recognized who was there. The thought made his heart ache, but Peter ignored it. Now wasn’t the time.

“Fuck, how do you move so _quietly_ ,” Juno relaxed back into his sitting position but was still alert, watching Peter with a look of uncertainty and nerves.

“Part of the charm, I suppose,” Peter gave a playful wink, flashed his sharp smile, and felt a twinge of satisfaction when Juno huffed and looked out the window, failing to fight a small smile.

Peter decided to take a calculated risk and made his way over to the window, closing the distance between the two until they were only a few feet apart. Juno glanced back at the thief, the look of confusion back where the smile once was.

“Nur- shit, I mean,” Juno fumbled for a moment, forgetting the fake names, the secrets that only they shared, the history behind it all. The new alias threw Juno off a little; it was unfamiliar, foreign and just... not Peter.

Sensing this, Peter spoke up.

“Why don't you just call me Rose for now?”

“Rose.” Juno paused, and Peter could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he processed everything. After a moment, he continued. “What are you doing this late?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Peter quipped, deflecting from the question.

Juno let out a huff and turned his gaze away from Peter and back to the window, his mind seeming to wander for a moment.

“Just... looking, I guess. This is... something else,” Juno admitted, and from where he stood, Peter could see the speckled stars reflecting in his eye.

Peter let out a small laugh before walking to the other end of the window seat, perching himself up casually.

“This is nothing. Just wait until you see _any_ of Jupiter’s moon, or the oceans of Terra.”

“Honestly? I can't even begin to imagine,” Juno mused, throwing a glance Peter’s way and quickly averting his gaze when he found Peter’s eyes already trained on his own. Slightly flustered, he continued speaking.

“I’ve only ever been on Mars. Never even gone to orbit, either. And it’s not like the domes or atmosphere really allow you to see the stars... I had no idea there could be _so_ many,”

His voice trailed off, and silence settled between the two. Unlike the awkward pauses and unsure shuffling that accompanied silence during the day, this one felt comfortable. Felt like home. Peter turned his own attention towards the stars and began to think.

Ever since he was little, Peter has always been on the move. The architecture of Brahma limited transportation and where one could reach, but with quick wits and the eventual help of Mags, he was mobile and saw all the beauties and horrors it held in the clouds. Once he was off of that planet and with his new life, his travels reached all across the Solar system, anywhere from the sprawling underground cities of Mercury to the forests of lush green of Terra and the mesmerizing rings of Saturn. Everything in the known universe has been reached and observed by Peter.

It was still beautiful of course, but the novelty of the universe had lost its shine with time.

Being stuck on one planet (and one city, really) for a lifetime was incomprehensible. To see stars for the first time in person and not on some flimsy hologram was impossible.

The dots of light never invoked much emotion for Peter. Sure, they were pretty, but it was the same kind of pretty that a neon sign on the side of the building was. At the right moment, from the right angle, it was something special. But other than that? It was just another part of life, another thing to ignore as his mind focused on more pressing matters.

Peter turned his gaze back towards Juno, this time him being the one to be caught off guard by the other already staring.

The silence continued to stretch as they stared, breaking eye contact only to study each others faces, finding blemishes and markings both familiar and new. Peter could only imagine the damage beneath the eyepatch. Two thin scars stretched from beneath it out from the corner of Juno’s eye towards his temple. Another scar, running across the bridge his nose, slightly crooked from being broken long ago. Yet _another_ scar, the most faded of the three, curving from beneath his chin. The slight stubble across his face did little to hide it.

What stories did these markings hold? Peter yearned to find out, to learn the most intimate and close stories that Juno held. He wanted to know and be known.

His eyes trailed to the lady’s lips, chapped and far from the perfect image of softness from the media but still so kissable and perfect-

Peter snapped his eyes back to Juno’s, hand clenching involuntarily. The tension between them was electric, and Juno’s eye returned to meet Peters, his gaze heavy. Peter was probably no better.

Juno then blinked, pulled back a bit _(when did he get so close?)_.

“P-Rose, we... we still need to, you know, talk?”

Peter nodded, also snapping out of the trance they had fallen into.

“Yes, you’re right. Maybe it would be best if we waited for tomorrow, no?” Peter stood up from the window seat, running a hand through his hair before adjusting his glasses. “We should be rested and not, well, _distracted_ when we do,”

Juno gave one last gaze out the window before also sliding off the seat, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah. Besides, it’s not like we don’t have plenty of time,” Juno joked dryly, gesturing around him towards the ship with his free hand.

Peter smiled and nodded. They had time. There was no big case to solve, no bad guys holding them hostage, no bomb ticking off the seconds for a confession.

They were stuck on a ship in the middle of the Solar system, relatively safe and secure. They had time.

Time to talk about what happened. Time to apologize, to cry, to forgive. Time to rebuild and start again, time to do things properly this run.

“Shall we?” Peter gestured to the door.

Juno rolled his eyes but smiled, and the two began to walk to their rooms, the promise of time holding them and bringing them comfort.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm prob gonna draw smthing to go along with this so i'll link it here if i do,,, 
> 
> anyways thank u for reading!!! :3c 
> 
> if you’d like and are able to, donating to my   
> ko-fi.com/aeskoro would mean a lot!


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